Doc Pierce's Restaurant

I am going to begin by asking you not to judge the amount of fried food you are going to see in this post! And now that we have that out of the way, I am going to tell you about some of the best onion rings I have found, thus beginning the talk of fried food! Doc Pierce's Restaurant has onion rings that are huge, and I'm not just talking kind of huge, I'm talking "I can wear this as a bracelet" huge, and the batter on them is just perfectly seasoned and crispy. We also ordered fried mushrooms, and all I have to say is "wow!" I truly have never seen mushrooms this big, let alone fried mushrooms, which, like the onion rings, were coated in a delicious, crispy batter.

 While the menu at Doc Pierce's is widely varied with steak, seafood, sandwiches, salads, and soups, I chose Doc's Double Dose, which is a plate of gulf shrimp and sirloin steak tips coated in their delicious batter and fried (Remember when I asked you not to judge? This is that point!). The gulf shrimp were delicious, they were big and sweet, and tasted just like the shrimp we would get from South Carolina when my brother was stationed there, you just don't often get shrimp like this in a state not on the ocean, especially Indiana. The fried steak was a new experience, and actually quite delicious, the batter on the steak got a little soggy on the bottom, but for the most part was still crispy and tasty. I also had a salad alongside my steak and shrimp, and while it was just an average, iceberg lettuce salad it was kicked up a notch with their croutons, which I am fairly certain were housemade, and very delicious.

My hubby and mother in law both had burgers; Hubby's was a traditional cheese burger with provolone and sauteed mushrooms and his momma got the black and bleu burger. Both liked their burgers, but felt that the actual hamburger could have used some seasoning to enhance it.

The atmosphere in Doc Pierce's Restaurant is a little dark, but gets a unique feel from the many stained glass windows and Tiffany lamps. Next time you are in the mood for good, comfort food head to downtown Mishawaka and enjoy a tasty meal at Doc Pierce's Restaurant.

Temper Grille

If you have never eaten tapas, you should, there is just something about a meal that includes small plates that you get to share, tasting a little of this and a little of that, for someone who prefers to "graze," it really is a dream meal. What is also a dream, is the food coming out of Chef Sean's kitchen at Temper Grille! The menu has a wide array of tapas with meat, seafood, and cheese plus delicious salads, soups, and veggies to eat alongside your small plates. We opted to share several small plates and each got a side dish/veggie, we started our meal with the steak bites, which were recommended by a friend, and were delicious! We got a plate of perfectly, medium rare bite size pieces of steak covered in a tasty remoulade sauce with pita wedges on the side, the steak was a little spicy for me (which means people without a completely wimpy palette will find these perfectly spiced), but with the pita bread to take some of the heat I was still able to nosh on these yummy bites.

What you should know about tapas, is that you will not get your food all at once, it will come out as the kitchen finishes cooking it, which, again, grazers dream come true! The next dish to come out was my creamed corn, which was described to be as "life changing," and frankly it definitely was a game changer in the veggie arena. I know some of you are turning your nose up at creamed corn, but this corn starts in a hot skillet with salt, pepper, and sugar to get it caramelized and then continues to cook in heavy cream as it reduces down to make this delicious sweet sauce, and then is finished with a red pepper sauce, it truly is a scrumptious and inventive way to serve up a side dish once only eaten in nursing homes.

Next my hubby's mac and cheese came out, he opted to eat it plain, but you can order it with pork belly, lobster knuckle meat, roasted peppers, and one other option we don't remember. He really liked the cavatappi pasta used in this dish, his only qualm was that the cheese sauce was in the bottom of the dish instead of coating all of the pasta, but he said it was a good and admitted that this is a popular way to make this dish.

The next dish that came out was one that we ordered without dispute, the pork belly, tasty, tasty morsels of the best part of the pig, smoked to perfection. If you have never tried pork belly, and I'm not just talking about bacon, you should know that it tends to be a little salty, and very rich, but when cooked properly, and it was, it is truly a food experience that you should have at least once in your life.

Our final dish to come out was the ceviche tostada, I wish I had a picture for you because this dish is as beautiful as it is delicious, but when it came out we started chatting with the chef and I forgot to snap a pic. If you like seafood and salsa, this is the perfect dish for you, it is very light and refreshing and was an ideal ending to our meal, well that and my hubby getting the chance to check out the chef's smoker. Temper Grille is a unique food experience and one you should definitely have!

Uptown Kitchen

My little brother is very conscientious of what he eats, he is a vegetarian who eats vegan as much as possible, so when he came home on leave a few years ago I knew that I HAD to take him to Uptown kitchen, and when he was given the option of where to go for his farewell dinner on his most recent visit home this was his choice. Uptown Kitchen at Heritage Square in Granger offers vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free meals in addition to many options for the omnivore, made from locally sourced, fresh ingredients. The kitchen is open to the dining room and as you look in you will notice that there is no microwave, deep fryer, or heat lamp, so when they tout fresh food, made from scratch they really mean it; in fact, when my grandpa tried to order bleu cheese dressing for his salad, the waitress informed him that it wasn't one of their dressings, and the chef promptly poked his head out of the office and told the waitress that he would make bleu cheese dressing, now that is service, fresh made dressing! My grandma, who also loves bleu cheese, tried the dressing and told our waitress that it should be added to the menu. We all were impressed with their from scratch, house made dressings, I had the balsamic vinaigrette which is one of their most popular and it was delicious, in addition to salads the meals also started with chicken tortilla soup, cream of mushroom soup, and from scratch applesauce all of which were proclaimed to be delicious, especially the applesauce full of chunks of apples. It is safe to say that everyone was impressed with their meals, I had the Kobe beef burger, which was absolutely scrumptious, I am normally one to salt a burger, but this one most definitely did not need it, the flavor was fantastic and was especially complemented by the sweetness of the grilled onions. My hubby ordered a salad for dinner, which is unlike him, but it was a salad nicoise, which is something he has long wanted to try and it did not disappoint, it was chock full of seared Ahi tuna, sardines, artichoke hearts, calamata olives (the only part of the salad he didn't care for), tomatoes, and garlic parsley dressing.

My grandma got the Cobb salad, which was a big bowl full of a little bit of everything like avocado, bacon, chopped eggs, tomatoes, bleu cheese, tomatoes, chicken breast, and a sweet Cobb vinaigrette, which, like Uptown's other dressings, was delicious.

Uptown serves breakfast any time of the day, (which is something I love even though I had a burger), so my mom had the house made corned beef hash and really loved it, and since they offered raspberry jelly for her toast she was an especially happy woman.

My brother chose one of the vegetarian options for his dinner, a potpie full of root veggies, like carrots, parsnips, and potatoes covered in a flaky crust.

The deliciousness didn't stop at the soup, the salad, or even the entree it continued right into dessert where we were all impressed with the many choices offered, and even more impressed when we started eating. My grandma promptly ordered a slice of coconut cake and with a look of euphoria on her face, proclaimed it to be "ridiculous" on the first bite.

The chocolate ganache cake and a slice of cheesecake were ordered, bites were shared, and each was declared heavenly, the cheesecake might just be some of the smoothest that I have ever had. At the advice of the hostess my brother and I ordered Reese's truffles which were delectable.

In fact, I looked over and caught my brother licking his plate...yes! It was that good!!

My brother had ordered an extra Reese's truffle, I asked him why he didn't order a different truffle to try, as they had may different varieties like oreo, lemon, and snickers, but my question was answered as we walked out and he gave the little boxed truffle to the hostess who recommended the tasty treat. Upon leaving handshakes were shared, appreciation given, and prayers of safety offered, as my dad had added to our reservation that this was my brother's farewell dinner and each employee seemed to have found this out. You might pay a little more for dinner at Uptown Kitchen than you will at an average restaurant, but you are guaranteed above average food, with exceptional ingredients, and extraordinary customer service.

The Moringa Tree

As a general rule when you think of eating in Elkhart County images of fried chicken, noodles, and pie are conjured, not organic, natural, vegetarian meals, but on Jackson street in Downtown Elkhart is a little restaurant that is serving up those type of meals for you nutrition minded food lovers. We stopped at The Moringa Tree for lunch as a treat for my vegetarian brother who likes to eat vegan when he can, and even us carnivores were impressed with our meals! The fresh juices and smoothies looked incredibly appealing with their fresh ingredients, but because they are fresh ingredients they were on the pricey side, and since it was a hot day we stuck with a pitcher of water passed around the table several times. My brother did order a smoothie to go and he loved it, I think that he would have ordered one of everything on the menu, but at the Vegan waitress' recommendation he got the bean burger topped with guacamole and a side of the soup du jour. He really liked the flavor of his burger and the soup, not to mention he loved the whole restaurant/store with all of their natural and health minded products, and was especially thankful when the protein powder in his smoothie wasn't soy based.

My mom was really impressed with her grilled cheese sandwich that was made with two types of raw cheese on sprouted bread topped off with pesto; I am pretty sure the word "amazing" was thrown out after the first bite. She got bruschetta and broccoli slaw on the side which she said were good, but could have used a little more seasoning.

I ate the greatest version of a PB&J I have ever had, it was nut butter with fresh berries and cinnamon and honey on sprouted bread. I have heard of sprouted bread and was nervous imagining bread with bean sprouts, but it was delicious (and did not have any sprouts in it!), I loved the heartiness and crunch that it had, and the tartness of the fresh berries against the nut butter and sweetness of the honey made for an incredible sandwich. I also got an organic fruit cup on the side and was so happy to see something other than melon and bananas, it was full of apples, oranges, berries, grapes, and all were so good.

My hubby joined us late and wasn't really hungry, but I ordered the guacamole for him anyway, and I am so glad I did! I got the first taste, and I have to say it is some of the best I have ever had, my son was literally eating it by the spoonful! And the salsa that came on the side was delicious, too, a little spicy, but delicious nonetheless.

Whether you are a health minded eater, need a place to find natural products like aluminum free deodorant or pink Himalayan salt, or just want a delicious meal, The Moringa Tree is a must try in downtown Elkhart!!

Noa Noa Wood Grill & Sushi Bar

For the most part I love the area I live in, the major problem I have, however, is that there just aren't enough local seafood places, which isn't surprising considering we aren't anywhere near any body of water that offers good seafood, but nonetheless, I love seafood and don't want to have to go to Red Lobster to get it. So you can imagine my surprise when a colleague suggested Noa Noa Wood Grill & Sushi Bar in Warsaw, a restaurant that serves fresh seafood and sushi, and fortunately for me, Warsaw happens to be the halfway meeting point for my best friend and I! The first thing that you should know about Noa Noa is that unless you make a reservation you will be sitting at either the bar or the sushi bar, and since my best friend and I met up to catch up sitting side by side wasn't our first choice, but the bar tender was friendly and took good care of us. Second thing you should know about Noa Noa is that the menu is huge, I'm talking 5 or 6 pages huge, and has a wide variety of food from small plates and sandwiches that will cost you around $10 to market price lobster tail to a wood fired rib eye for $29 all the way up to a mixed meat and seafood paella for two to share for $47, so you can find something for every budget, but if you really want to try some of their seafood, plan on spending around $20 for your meal. We both started with side salads that include onion, tomatoes, and croutons, and were allured with a wide variety of house made dressings including a Vietnamese dressing and a raspberry orange vinaigrette, my friend chose a Greek inspired dressing, feta olive vinaigrette, and I got a delicious, tart tamarind lime dressing. The salad really wasn't anything fancy, but the dressing is was made it.

With 5 pages of tempting food, dinner was a difficult choice, but I found the Noa Noa Island Grill which had a good variety to try, including grilled shrimp, coconut shrimp, an egg roll, crab Rangoon, plantains, a chef's creation called "coco nanas" which is chunks of banana with the same coating as their coconut shrimp, plus a whole mess of grilled fruit! The wood fired teriyaki shrimp was perfectly seasoned with a little kick and really well cooked/grilled, the coconut shrimp was large and delicious, I really liked the pork and shrimp egg roll, and the grilled mango that came in the mix of fruit was outstanding, in fact, we will probably be grilling mango this summer at home! I am not a big Rangoon eater, so I skipped this, I have been anxious to try plantains, but didn't love it, the texture was a little mushy for me, I thought the coco nanas were pretty good, but I am not a banana lover, so I can imagine if you like banans you will love this coconut crusted variety.

Although I didn't get a picture, my friend had the Bacon Wrapped Blue Salmon, which was a large salmon filet, wrapped in bacon, and topped with blue cheese, and while the bacon was a little wimpy and limp, the salmon still took on the smokey flavor of the bacon and was really tasty! I was very pleasantly surprised to find such a delicious seafood meal in an area that isn't close to any real seafood source. Warsaw, Indiana might not be the first place you expect to find delicious seafood, but it is truly one of the only places in the Northern Indiana area that I have found with a nice variety and freshness! I am anxious to get back to try their sushi, as every roll that went past us looked beautiful and delicious, but next time I know to make a reservation!

Rolling Scones Part II

The name "Rolling Scones," can be a bit deceiving, it can evoke images of delicious pastries, which they DO serve, but that isn't all they do. On the first and third Saturdays of every month Rolling Scones in the basement of The Old Bag Factory in Goshen serves up a Puerto Rican feast, on top of their regular delicious menu full of tempting breakfast options, soups, sandwiches, and salads. We started our meal with a shrimp ceviche, which was as beautiful as it was tasty...chock full of shrimp, lime juice, and typical salsa veggies! And if you aren't familiar with ceviche it is raw seafood that is marinated in citrus juice and served with tortilla chips for dipping.

My hubby and I decided to partake of the Puerto Rican feast which included pork and chicken (you can choose one or the other, but we wanted both), organic greens and dressing, rice and beans, and a slice of bread. The pork and chicken were unbelievably moist, generally in a restaurant meat has a tendency to be dry, but that is not the case here, and the flavor was delicious, very natural and perfectly seasoned. The dressing on the salad may actually be one of my favorite dressings, it is a light vinaigrette type, and is perfect next to the hardiness of the rice and beans, which were full of sweet potatoes, green olives, and ham; and my hubby who isn't a fan of any of those things really liked this side dish.

My mother in law ordered the "Pita Carnita" and really liked it, she was also surprised at how moist the Puerto Rican chicken in her pita was, it was complimented with Swiss cheese, fresh avocado (a staple for my hubby's California family), green olives, dill pickles, and mayo.

Whether you are looking for delicious scones to take to the office, soup and a sandwich for lunch, or a traditional Puerto Rican meal, Rolling Scones is a must try!

BopNGrill

Ever since a friend shared some of her Bulkogi with me in nursing school I have had a love for it, but somehow my homemade versions never matched up, and there isn't a great abundance of Korean restaurants in this area, so when I found a little joint in Chicago serving up this Asian delight I was ecstatic! BopNgrill near Loyola College in Chicago is serving up Korean favorites, as well as burgers, and some unique takes on fast food, like kimchi fries. Another unique fusion dish that BopNgrill only does on weekends, and frequently sells out of is their Philly Cheese steak egg rolls, my hubby tried an order of these, and other than a strong onion flavor he really liked this unique take on an egg roll, so if you are a Philly cheese steak lover, this is a dish for you to try.

Obviously I ordered the Bulkogi, which is a Korean ribeye dish that was served with rice, kimchi, and a side salad. The ribeye was fantastic and very tender, it was cooked with onions and carrots, and even though I don't always care for cooked veggies, I really liked this. The kimchi, which is a fermented cabbage dish, was too spicy for my taste, but otherwise had a good flavor, and the side salad had a creamy dressing with a good flavor on it, but was shredded lettuce and I just don't care for shredded lettuce.While I really didn't eat the sides, the Bulkogi itself was delicious and the rice was really well cooked, this dish is definitely a must try.

My hubby ordered one of the many unique burgers that BopNgrill serves, the umami, and for those who haven't heard of umami, it is one of the basic tastes and directly translates from the Japanese as a pleasant savory taste. His burger had truffled mushroom duxelle, bacon, smoked gouda, bacon, sun dried tomato confit, and togarashi mayo (a red chili mayo). I asked what he thought of the burger and he said the only word he could think to describe it was "umami," so I guess this burger lives up to it's name! For our little man we ordered the "strips and fries," since it was just $5, we didn't expect much, but this was a large serving of hand breaded chicken and a ton of fries (one of our best deals of the day)! The chicken was delicious, it was panko breaded, and if you know anyting about panko bread crumbs, they are incredibly crunchy, this is actually the same chicken they use for their chicken katsu, and it was so good I will be getting that next time we go back!

BopNgrill, might serve Asian food, but it is a far cry from the Chinese and Japanese restaurants you may have tried; pair their delicious Korean food with a unique variety of burgers and you have a winning menu and a winning restaurant.

Panozzo's Italian Market

There aren't too many things that I like as well as a deli, even better is a European deli, or since I am in the US, a European style deli; and that is exactly what I got when we had lunch at Panozzo's Italian Market on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. Panozzo's in more than just a deli with fresh made sandwiches, homemade pastas, and an abundance of salads, it is an establishment supporting it's own local community by using local and sustainable food.

Not only is the menu at Panozzo's incredibly tempting, but the deli case will also have your mouth watering; since we have heard such good things about the hot sandwiches, we went that route. I chose the porchetta, which is a pork shoulder that is marinated for a couple days, wrapped in a cured pork belly, and slow baked. For the first time in my life I ordered a sandwich totally unaltered (normally I prefer my sandwiches pretty plain), and it was delicious! My porchetta came on delicious yeast bread that was pan fried and perfectly crispy on the outside, it was topped with pickled fennel, greens, and a mild chili aoili, and that aoili in combination with the rendered fat from the porchetta gave the inside of the fried bread a soft, creaminess. I am so glad that I went against my inhibitions and ordered this sandwich as is, because it was delicious!

My hubby ordered the chicken thigh confit, which we were told is another popular choice. His sandwich also came on the delicious fried bread, and was reminiscent of chicken Parmesan with a chicken thigh, tomato pesto, herbs, pickled chili's, Parmesan, and most importantly fresh, handmade mozzarella...yes, they make their own mozzarella daily. 

For our little man we ordered a breaded chicken cutlet, which my hubby and I both tried and agreed it was delicious! These chicken cutlets can be bought by the pound and would be the perfect base for any chicken dish like chicken Parmesan. I perused the deli case and saw many unique olives, salads, and several different varieties of lasagna and I personally had to resist the urge to take home pounds and pounds of deli meat like salami and speck, but without a cooler, I am not sure it would have fared well during the rest of the day and trip home, but next time I will be smarter and take a cooler to bring home extras.

Italian restaurants are a dime a dozen, but Panozzo's Italian Market is a unique little joint, that is doing Italian different and doing it well.

West Town Bakery & Cafe

Near the Ukrainian Village in Chicago is a funky little joint covered in graffiti called West Town Bakery & Cafe, and if you are anything like me the mere sight of the pastry case as you walk in the front door will be enough to convince you that you have come to the right place! The cases were full of the most original flavored cake balls, like French toast, red velvet, & chocolate peanut butter; several different types of brownies; Sweet and savory pastries; many varieties of bagels; lots of huge doughnuts; mini and regular size whoopie pies; delicious looking scones; and chocolate covered bacon. We brought home a pretty good variety of baked goods, but I won't bore you with all of those details, but I will tell you that you have to try the maple bacon doughnut, one of the employees explained it as "life changing" and he was right!! 

As we sat down, my hubby barely picked up the menu when he saw an herbed waffle with braised pork belly covered in spiced apples, and he laid the menu right back down, he had seen everything that he needed to see. Now my husband is not a waffle guy, he doesn't really do breakfast, and if he does, waffles are never his first choice...until today. He actually really liked this savory version of a traditional breakfast staple. and it complemented his pork belly well. Now, if you know anything about pork, or meat, or butchering, you know that the belly is where the bacon comes from, my hubby told me that it was really good, but that if you don't care for fatty meat, this meal will not be the choice for you. His slab of pork belly was covered with a fried egg, which is not his favorite since he doesn't like yolks, but he ate around it, and really enjoyed this breakfast! And those apples were awesome!!

I am normally a water drinker, but the thought of fresh squeezed apple juice was too much for me to resist, and I was not disappointed. There is just something so delicious about fresh juice, I don't know if it is the real fruit taste, or just knowing that what you're drinking has been minimally processed, but either way, this was a glass of juice that stands high above the rest.

There were many fantastic looking options, especially with a menu as creative as this one, but since I have never tried chicken and waffles I went for it! Even though this was my first chicken and waffles, I can't imagine that this concept is anything like the original. The base for this old favorite, was anything, but traditional, it was a vanilla bean and bacon waffle, The flavor was awesome and sweet, with the occasional burst of saltiness from the bacon. The chicken was really well fried, but not very flavorful, it could have done with a little more seasoning on the meat and in the coating, but truthfully once you pair a bite of the chicken with the delicious waffle and syrup you won't feel like a thing is missing. Did I also mention that my chicken and waffles came with two slices of bacon on top? Good bacon takes everything to the next level, and this bacon did just that.

West Town Bakery & Cafe is a green restaurant, it also uses local, organic, and sustaining ingredients; not to mention they cook for a variety of diets, they really do have something for everyone! So if you are visiting Chicago and want a delicious breakfast, need something tasty for your lunch break, or even need a personalized cake remember West Town Bakery & Cafe on Chicago Avenue.

The Wood & Gage

When you venture off the beaten path you can often be rewarded with unexpected surprises, this holds true with restaurants as well, and was proven at lunch today when a dear friend took me to a little cafe and antique shoppe tucked in the neighborhood behind Rice Cemetery, at the corner of Wood Street and Gage Avenue, appropriately called The Wood and Gage. The first thing you will think when you walk in the door is "this is so cute!" The walls are covered in assorted signs and pictures, with shelves containing antiques and gifts, the tables are charmingly mismatched, and most importantly (at least my toddler thought so) there is an old pedestal bathtub used as a fish tank. The menu is simple, mostly salads and sandwiches, but perfect for a lunch time spot. I struggled to decide between an Asian chicken salad and a tenderloin, but finally decided on the salad, and what a good decision that was! A bed of lettuce and greens, topped with shredded cabbage, carrots, almonds, chicken, fresh fried wonton strips, served along with a delicious creamy Asian dressing, and if you think a salad can't constitute an entire lunch, well, about 3/4 of the way through my salad I had to quit eating because it was so large and I was getting full.

I ordered fresh cut, skin on french fries for my little man and they were a huge hit! Great crisp, thick and hearty, very flavorful with the skin still on. A very unique and delicious fry that I am anxious for my potato loving hubby to try!

My dear friend who introduced me to this sweet little place ordered a dish called "creamed chicken in a potato basket" which I was expecting to be a baked potato with chicken on it, and I was wrong. They take shredded potatoes and make a bowl with them and crisp them up, then serve it smothered in a creamy chicken mixture, it is a very unique dish, which my friend says is delicious. It's another dish I am anxious for my hubby to try!

With it's tea room like atmosphere, adorable hand made gifts, and extensive antiques and collectibles The Wood and Gage is a great place for a ladies breakfast, brunch, or lunch, but any man will appreciate the delicious food, too!

Rachel's Bread

When it comes to bread I tend to be a snob, many people think it is just a vehicle for a sandwich, but I tend to think that bread can be the star, and if you find a loaf that is good enough, you can eat it by itself and have a culinary experience, and that is exactly what you will get at Rachel's Bread in the farmer's market on The Millrace in Goshen. After work the other morning, several of us nurses decided to have breakfast together, Rachel's was the spot we chose and the moment we walked in and took a sniff, we knew it was going to be good! I was overwhelmed by the number of delicious pastries and other breakfast choices being offered and struggled for several minutes before I landed on the decision of an almond croissant with a cup of fruit. Some of the other competitors were danish, chocolate cream rolls, and baked oatmeal with dried cherries, plus they have frittata that my colleagues said were delicious. My almond croissant was sublime, it was flaky, light, and buttery and surprised me with a center full of creamy, chunky almond filling; The croissant was so good, in fact, that I decided to take the chocolate variety home, and my oh my, was this ever a delicious croissant, semisweet chocolate surrounded by the flaky layers of pastry, it can't be beat!

Because so many of the pastries looked so delicious and my decision was so hard, I brought my hubby home a pecan cinnamon roll because I know he has a great love for them, and I had secret hopes that I would get a taste, too.  It took him a day to eat it so he was pleasantly surprised to find that it was still soft, the pecans and top of the roll were perfectly caramelized, and the entire roll was spectacular.

I also brought home a wood fired baguette, now I have had good bread in my life, but this loaf is tops and may have ruined me for any other baguette. The outside was crusty and had this slightly smokey taste from the wood firing and the inside was perfectly chewy; The whole loaf had this slightly salty taste and was just perfect. Honestly though, I cannot capture this loaf of bread in any sort of words, and if you are anywhere near the bread lover I am, you need to make it a point to head to Rachel's and buy a baguette. The bread, rolls, and pastries at Rachel's Bread are the best you will find anywhere, because they are made with simple, real ingredients, are allowed to rise naturally and are free of preservatives. So whether you are looking for something new for Saturday morning breakfast, want to spice up your lunch hour, or just crave some good bread, stop in to Rachel's, from one bread lover to another, you won't be sorry you did!

JW Chen's

It seems that everyone has their favorite Chinese place, it's their go to for take out for a busy week night or that special place for dinner out, and I can tell you that if it wasn't located all the way out by Notre Dame, JW Chen's would be our Chinese place. The food is delicious and scratch made, and from what we hear from many who have traveled to China it is as close as it gets in the US, I have never eaten in China, but I can tell you this is different and better than the rest! We started with the lettuce wraps because my hubby has loved lettuce wraps since we were taken to PF Chang's (no judgement for eating at a chain!), and these blew PF's right out of the water; you have your choice of pork or chicken, I chose pork for a little something different and was not disappointed, these wraps were delicious, I was eating every speck of the filling off of my plate!

When it came time to order the owner grabbed a seat next to us and asked us what we liked, she told us that she had fish and lamb and would make us anything we wanted, she will even make suggestions based on what you like, or come up with a whole new dish for you! We ended up with an order of almond shrimp which was on the menu, and black vinegar fish which was not on the menu. As we waited for our food, the waitress dropped off a plate and announced "honey chicken on the house," and what a scrumptious surprise that was! This was not the typical deep fried chicken covered in an overly sweet sauce that I have had before, but rather chunks of tender chicken with a nicely balanced honey sauce, even my hubby liked it and he isn't usually a fan of sweet dishes.

The next dish to hit the table was the almond shrimp, and yes they bring your dishes out as they are prepared, so everything is piping hot. This wasn't the typical shrimp dish with a few almonds sprinkled over top, these large shrimp are lightly battered and coated in slivered almonds before they hit the fryer, so you get shrimp that is completely coated in almonds. These crispy shrimp are finished off with a really delicious brown sauce, and are just so perfect, this might be my new favorite Chinese dish!

The final dish to come out was the black vinegar fish, which was an entire filet of fish (my guess was orange roughy, but I couldn't say that with conviction), battered, fried, and dressed in a sauce that, despite being tangy, did not taste like vinegar. This wasn't our favorite dish on the table, but it was good, and so fun to get to try something that isn't on the menu.

JW Chen's not only has delicious food, but a unique environment as well, I mean how many places can you go and have the owner come up with a dish based on your tastes? And while it is nice for a family dinner or even a night out, I also think getting a big group together, each ordering a different dish, and eating family style would be a blast and give you a good taste of what they have to offer. No matter who you choose to go with, just make sure you go to JW Chen's, you won't be disappointed!

Pumpernickel's Pretzel Bakery

As a general rule I don't visit restaurants in the first few weeks that they are open, I don't always feel like these young days will give an accurate representation of what the restaurant will be, but in the case of Pumpernickel's Pretzel Bakery I was too excited to try their pretzels to wait! On the ground level of the old Elkhart Hotel, where the Athenian Ballroom is located, the owner of DA Pumpernickel's catering has expanded his operation, and now makes delicious pretzels as well as sandwiches on pretzel rolls, with lots of accompaniments like chilli and cookies. I decided to keep it simple, so I ordered my little man a traditional pretzel with cheese, he mowed down on his pretzel and ignored the cheese, but I will attest that this was a delicious pretzel! They have the deep, rich brown crust on them that I have only ever seen in Germany and are scrumptious and chewy on the inside.

I ordered a cinnamon pretzel for myself, and while there was a bit of wait for it, it was well worth the time! Now this wasn't just a regular pretzel with cinnamon and sugar on it, this was actually a pretzel with cinnamon in the dough, and tasted just like biting into cinnamon raisin bread, sans raisins. Pair this delicious, sweet pretzel with the slight tang of cream cheese frosting, and you have a match made in bakery heaven!

Pumpernickel's also offers jalapeno and whole wheat pretzels along with a big variety of dipping sauces, like marinara, spicy cheese, raspberry mustard, salted caramel, whole grain mustard, and chocolate. Not only were the pretzel's at Pumpernickel's sublime, but the staff was so accommodating and friendly, when the little man spilled his cheese on the floor they were quick to help me clean up and even offered us more cheese, he was even given a free cookie! And trust me when I say you have never had a cookie like this; a warm chocolate chip cookie with an ooey, gooey chocolate center...yum!! Pumpernickel's has limited hours right now, Monday through Friday over the lunch hour, but also plans to be open for special events like the Jazz Festival, so if you happen to work in downtown Elkhart or are just in the area make sure to stop in for a tasty sandwich on a delicious pretzel roll or even just an afternoon treat, 'cuz Auntie Anne and Ben ain't got nothin' on Pumpernickels!!

Stirred Restaurant & Lounge

Stirred downtown Elkhart is easy to miss, it is off of Main on Lexington and the sign is this really cool silver piece that can be hard to see, but trust me, you will be glad you took the time to search it out. The inside could only be described as eclectic, there are many features of the original building, like a fantastic old brick wall and pressed tin ceiling, that are contrasted with updates like an electric fireplace and deep red walls, not to mention a fabulous old door!

 Their menu is designed to share, so we started with a couple of appetizers; the "Spankin' Shrimp" and the fried pickles. The "Spankin' Shrimp" is similar to a certain seafood chain's "Bang Bang Shrimp," but I think I prefer Stirred's "Spankin' Shrimp" as it is more like (HUGE) prawns than popcorn shrimp and the "Spankin' Shrimp" is tempura battered versus breaded, which I love. The sauce on the "Spankin' Shrimp" has a kick to it, but even a wimp like me could handle it and found this dish to be delicious! Plus, the black sesame seeds were a fun garnish!

 My husband is not normally a fan of fried pickles chips, he prefers the spears, but he actually really liked this battered version; they were served with a spicy dipping sauce, that truthfully wasn't terribly spicy. I have eaten a lot of fried pickles (I know, I really shouldn't admit to that) and these are top of the list with a thick coating of batter and the spicy dipping sauce.

The menu had several main dishes and sandwiches, but since Tuesday's are buy one, get one half off (bogoho as I like to call it) sushi rolls, we decided to try a couple, which are unlike ANY sushi you have ever tried. The rolls as Stirred are very unconventional, with rolls like "The Cowboy" that has steak strips and bleu cheese, "The Fish Taco" with tempura crab, pineapple salsa, and corn chips, and "The Fire & Ice" filled with salmon, jalapenos, and cream cheese, they have definitely created a unique offering of sushi. I ordered Stirred's signature roll that has gulf shrimp, mango, cilantro, avocado, and red pepper, on soy paper with a delicious  sticky, sweet sauce and I have to say this might just be one of my favorite sushi rolls, I loved the way all of the flavors played together, and especially loved the sweet sauce this roll was served with.

I think my hubby purposefully ordered a roll he knew I wouldn't eat, since it was topped with hot sauce...stinker! His "Rajun Cajun" included cajun seasoned shrimp, crab, red pepper, and green onions, and this man who doesn't eat onions, still liked this roll. My hubby's only complaint is that the menu really didn't include any traditional sushi rolls, but for you purists there is a good selection of sashimi, maki, and nigiri.

Stirred also has an ample offering of wines and cocktails, for those of you who like to relax after a long week with a martini and sushi, this little joint in downtown Elkhart is the perfect spot for you! And for those of you who don't drink, you will still feel pretty fancy with a slice of cucumber in your ice water and a delicious roll of sushi in your chopsticks!